Leadership Paper
Philosophy
Mac Anderson says, “Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference.” I believe that when he says a willing heart, he is expressing that a person will have compassion to oversee the situation and do what they can to try and help out. I further believe that he is saying, they will have a positive attitude and to not be critical or expecting anything in exchange, because of their decisions to be helpful. The outcome that comes from this is, knowing that it made a difference for both people because of the teamwork that was demonstrated.
I have heard of several different forms of leadership approaches and behaviors being mentioned from different instructors all in which asked my opinion of which leadership style or approach I think I am, or feel that I want to be. I have been inspired by different forms of leadership styles/approaches, traits, and behaviors. Some moments were mind-blowing, and others were just knowledge enhancers in my quest to gain full clarity. This is my philosophy of Leadership, and the knowledge that I have gained throughout the Organizational Leadership Program.
Leadership was a word that did not inspire me before this program. The keywords of leadership to me were dominance, control, and evasiveness. Because of these keywords, the influence of it was something I never wanted included in the same title that dealt with me. I knew that I never wanted to dominate anyone because I understood that people have their own opinions, their own set of morals and values, which in the end leads them to make their own decisions.
The Research paper on Leadership Approach Paper
... a common objective. Although there are many leadership approaches, we will focus on the situational leadership approach. We will analyze the purpose, strengths and ... to real situations. Situational Leadership Approach As it name suggests, the situational leadership approach states that leaders should use different approaches as situations change. In ...
I believe that if a person tries to control another person while trying to change their thoughts, then they would be eluding themselves of who they actually are. By saying this, I know that I am not a person who would mislead, misjudge, or deceive anyone from them being their own person. This is why I could not call myself a leader before my involvement in this program.
Robert Northouse has an excellent way of defining leadership in his textbook, Leadership, Theory and Practice, he says “leadership as a process means that it is not a trait or characteristic that resides in the leader, but rather a transactional event that occurs between the leader and the followers. Process implies that a leader affects and is affected by followers. It emphasizes that leadership is not a linear, one-way event, but rather an interactive event. When leadership is defined in this manner, it becomes available to everyone. It is not restricted to the formally designated leader in a group (Northouse, 2013).”
This is a perfect definition of leadership in my opinion. Because it expresses that if a person truly devotes themselves and calls themselves a leader, then they have a full understanding that it is not just about them. It is not a one-sided cognitive way of thinking, but it involves opening up and understanding that others do get affected by choices that are made, and those choices are not just yours.
Robert Northouse further explains that leadership is about influence. “That influence is the sine qua non of leadership. Without influence, leadership does not exist (Northouse, 2013, pg. 5).” Influence rather it is positive or negative, it is demonstrated. And the person that is on the receiving end of that influence will react to what they seen and demonstrate in their character.
Sue Laird is truly the person who influenced me into enrolling in the OL program when I started at Donnelly in 2009. Ms. Laird was one of my first instructors, who later became my advisor. The small conversations we had encouraged me to enroll in this program. So when I returned to Donnelly, it was my mission to learn more about this program and to get a real understanding to what leadership is.
The Term Paper on Web Accessed Leadership Leaders Management
1. INTRODUCTION Warren Bennis in 1985 in partnership with Burt Nanus wrote a book called! SSLeaders!" . Six statements evolved about leadership and have since been subject to much debate. These statements are mythical and are: "X Leadership is a rare skill "X Leaders are born, not made "X Leaders are charismatic "X Leadership exists only at the top of the organisation "X The Leader Controls, ...
After taking a couple of courses in the Organizational Leadership program, my thoughts of leadership started to transition, I started to have these ah-ha moments over different topics of leadership and applying them to myself. This in turn made my first definition of leadership change. With this acknowledgment it brought forth a different understanding to me throughout my journey on leadership. With all the emotions I began to have, I started to realize that this definition I first had was evasive. And by having such thoughts, this in the long run would hinder me from becoming the person I am supposed to be.
The most important theory that sticks to me throughout this journey is authentic leadership. Authentic leadership is described in three perspective viewpoints which are; ‘Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and developmental.’ Intrapersonal emphasizes a leader’s life experiences and what they learned from that experience. Interpersonal is the relationships that a leader forms with the follower. And developmental expresses the learning or nurturing process of becoming (Northouse, 2013, pg. 254).”
My past thoughts over my life experiences are what hindered me from fully accepting the role as a leader. I would talk to people, and give them my thoughts over their situations but I really did not want them to say that, ‘they admired me for that or that they followed the advice that I have given them,’ I started to noticed how I would push them away when they said these things to me.
I did not want to hear that my advice is what helped them to think a different way, because I was not thinking differently. But since I’ve been taking these OL classes, I have noticed that I’ve been thinking differently, but still some my old thoughts are still there.
Since then, I noticed that I have started to open up. And from this awareness, I realized that because of the obstacles that I endured, the pain that I have felt, and the lies that were told to me, was the reasons why before that closed myself off. Now I can say that, I have become stronger, and I do not need to continue to carry on this way. I accept the title now because I realized throughout those ah-ha moments, I am a leader, that can nurture and build, and grow. Those life interactions now are becoming more positive than they were before, and more authentic they have been.
The Essay on Level 5 Leaders Great Leadership Companies
REACTION PAPER NO. 5: "LEVEL FIVE LEADERSHIP " DONA BELLE B. SUVA 11 AUGUST 2004 I. SUMMARY Why is it that a few companies develop from an organization with good results as measured on the stock market to a great one? Jim Collins and his team selected 11 companies from more than 1400 that had been listed in the Fortune 500 from 1965 to 1995. Each of the selected companies had mediocre results for ...
I believe that a person must know first that they have to be authentic, and remain authentic. Northouse says this as noted from above, and I truly agree with him over his logic over this theory. I do not understand how a person can state that they are truly a leader if they are not being true to themselves.
Another person or researcher that describes this type of leadership is Robert Terry when he says, “It includes knowing and acting on what is “true” in yourself (authenticity), in your organization, and in the world.” (Robert Terry, pg. 255).
These phrases alone state the morale of my life.
Everyone has that voice inside of them telling them when something is wrong or right. By doing wrong, I know that I’m letting my spirit down; I lower myself into becoming someone I know I am not. This brings forth second guessing and misjudgments within myself which are not true to me. So therefore, these words, ‘Be true to yourself, are words that I never would or could question. Because in the end, I have to deal with what I said, or what actions I have done. So if they are not true to me, how could they be true to anyone else? How could I deal with not being true? I couldn’t, my spirit couldn’t, and I just would not be me.
I know that I have to be true to myself, because lies and deceptions are too complicated for me, and I’m just not a good liar. I knew that by telling one little lies, that lie could escalate into the biggest drawn out ordeal which truthfully, I could have prevented. I also know that by telling one lie, that lie could spread like wildfire. But if I start off with the truth, and stay with the truth, I would never have to worry about what lie I started off with from the beginning.
Robert Terry explains this logical theory when he says; “The challenge for leaders is to distinguish between authentic and inauthentic actions, and then to commit to authentic actions over the inauthentic. Unless leaders know what truly is going on, their actions will be inappropriate and can have serious consequences (Robert Terry, pg. 255).”
Telling false-truths as I said goes against my morals and ethics. Because I know that I would have to bear the consequences of those lies. I cannot tolerate lying neither to myself nor to others. I choose to stay authentic throughout my life and it is not because my mother instilled this way of thinking in me as a child, but because I know that whatever I said would mean something, and that my actions portray who I am. By saying that, if my words meant that this was who I am, then lying would mean that I’m nothing.
The Essay on Managers And Leader Leaders Person Power
Is there a difference between managers and leaders? To me, the answer is-absolutely. After researching articles about the differences between managers and leaders I concluded that my current work environment, which employs two principals, leans towards more managerial than leadership qualities. There is always the opportunity to become a manager, but becoming a leader takes a certain kind of ...
The importance of leadership to me now is having authenticity while standing by your morals and ethics. It is acknowledging that at some point, another person’s views can help you understand certain situations, those situations which maybe unclear to you may be a little clearer from a different perspective. A perspective that will do involves, listening to another person without being judgmental over their values, or their ethics/morals.
I was never a person who questioned the actions or thought of others, in a negative way, because I knew it was never my place to do such a thing. But I also knew that no one could change my beliefs or I how felt either, especially when I knew it was wrong. Ethical leaders are concerned about issues of fairness and justice. They make it a top priority to treat all of their subordinates in an equal manner. Justice demands that leaders place issues of fairness at the center of their decision making. As a rule, no one should receive special treatment or special consideration except when his or her particular situation demands it. When individuals are treated differently, the grounds for different treatment must be clear and reasonable, and be based on morals values (pg. 433).
The best instructor that helped me understand values in this program is Father John. Just from the discussions in OL 401, and the reading from above, I understand that when I say that I value how I present myself when I am assisting or communicating with others it is my actions and my words that would leave the legacy of who I am. If my words are harsh and I know that I as a human-being I have compromised another person’s thoughts or actions because of my words and/or my behavior than I am being manipulative. And by demonstrating these actions or behaviors would be an unjust and very unhealthy of me. I live by the Golden Rule: Treat those as you would like to be treated because you never know who you may need in end!!!!
On page 436, Dalla Costa (1998), made the point clearly in his book, The Ethical Imperative, that being honest means more than not deceiving. For leaders in organizations, being honest means, “Do not promise what you can’t deliver, do not misrepresent, do not hide behind spin-doctored evasions, the ‘survival of the fittest’ pressures of business release any of us from the responsibility to respect another’s dignity and humanity (Northouse, 2013, pg. 164).”
The Essay on Heroic Leaders Leadership In Response To Situations Antigone
Heroic leaders come in many odd shapes and forms. As can be seen in the characters of Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Antigone. Contained within these famous Greek tragedies one can see how leadership is fostered and the challenges encountered by the two characters of Oedipus and Antigone. Although they are tragic heroic leaders, they are able to maintain an integrity that is vital in a leader. In ...
After reading these passages from the text, this sparked some thoughts that I had about life. Still transitioning my thoughts, while gaining clarity on how these theories touch on everything I believe in. I could never comprehend how one person could treat another person better. So while engaging with this concept and dealing with my life’s challenges, I started noticing how passive I was becoming about learning all of this.
I understand that in certain situations, listening to different perspectives will bring forth a more rational outcome, but in the end it is my decision that I have to live with. So the advice that I get from others is just advice, in the end I have to bear the consequences of my actions on any situation. So with more consideration, I have to deal with my actions and reactions. The things that I do not understand, at those moments may not be meant for me to understand them. I still question myself of these theories and my major question is, “At what troubling boundaries would I, as a leader tests those limits without them starting to question my own ethics and morals?
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Robert Northouse answers this question when he talks about Transformational Leadership, chapter 9, “As the name implies, transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals (Northouse, 2013, pg. 185).”
As a leader, I will not compromise my morality. Ethically, my values will lead me to an understanding that will set no boundaries on any situation that I would find troubling. At times, I have to listen to another person to gain total fulfillment of the truth from certain situations. So I know there are no limits that would make a true leader question their morals or ethics. But also I know that I need the awareness within myself to accept the fact that I had the wrong interpretation, due to my assumptions. So ethics/morals and values play a huge part of Transformational Leadership which is also a part of my philosophy as well.
The Essay on Leadership Leader Leaders People
Leadership Training The great leaders have an inbred sense of style. They just know what situation requires what response. But not everyone has that inbred sense. I work for a Law Firm of comparable size for the county it is located in. My firm is listed as a Top 100 Firm in the Philadelphia area. We have 3 comparatively sized offices and 3 satellite offices. They are many types of leaders in my ...
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After hearing Mrs. Pat Brune’s explanation on Servant Leadership in OL 340, then again from Professor Crew in OL 301, I felt another emotion rise in me. I began to call myself a servant-leader, screaming it out loud because all of the characteristics from Greenleaf’s model seemed to explain me from head to toe.
Greenleaf’s model begins with the most intense description, “Servant Leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead….The best test… is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to becomes servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived? (Northouse, 2013, pg. 220) Greenleaf, 1970, p. 15).”
The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader are; Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the growth of people, and Building Community. I have stated to multiply people after hearing this, that I was a servant-leader. I have always had this passion to want to help people, to inspire people to become the best that I see in them throughout my life. So after hearing this leadership theory, I have expressed to others, in different conversations that I never knew that it was title for the work that I have done.
From those comments, I never wanted or expected self-gratification either. I just know that I had and have this feeling to serve, to aspire, to lift, and to assist people. And in the end that person or those who I helped will stand up and become healthier, and become stronger within them. If I am truly desire to become this type of leader I need all the characteristics of it.
I am aware that I still have some work to do on myself before I fully can call myself this leader. My listening skills need to improve, and with that my understanding will increase which will help me build stronger commitments to the growth of people. With foresight, I envision that I can persuasively build stronger communities with those I come in contact with will also heal them while we work through this process as well. My stewardship is, owning up to my responsibilities and entrusting in those that I help along the way, and those who have helped me as well.
But from those comments, I never wanted or expected self-gratification either. I just know that I have these feelings to; serve, aspire, lift, and assist people. And in the end those who I help will stand up and become healthier, and stronger within themselves.
Sam Walton says that, “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it is amazing what they can accomplish.” I am a firm believer of this saying. I believe if a person’s self-esteem is high it boosts their frame of thinking. Which also allows them to achieve everything that they set forth to accomplish. I consistently tell myself, my children and the people I come contact with this. It is this style of motivation that is needed to build people into leaders.
My philosophy on leadership I know is simple. I know that I have to stay authentic with myself because I have to deal with the choices and the outcomes that come along with the decisions that I make. I know that lies and deceptions are two words that I do not like in my vocabulary, and that I do not tolerate. I will not question my ethnics and morals because I value myself and I value the views and outcomes of others. I treat everyone with fairness and I am always willing to help whomever I come in contact with because it is not in me to not try and help. I do not look for self-gratifications, or rewards from me lending a helping hand to people because my inspirations inspire them to achieve what I see they are capable of, then that in a nutshell is the best reward I could ever receive.
While I am still transitioning and transforming into this leader that I know I am, I am also adapting to the issues and the different conflicts that I still am facing. Which are: listening more, being more attentive, and knowing that I do not have all the answers. So therefore, different perspectives are valuable to me through this process.
Raymond Chandler says; “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
I know that I have the ability to achieve beyond my limits because God has granted me the strength to know that anything is possible if you believe in him, and I am a firm believer. My motivation comes from the determination that I have to reach my outcome of excellence, while not letting my past hinder me. My attitude over all of this is; that I know that I have what it takes and well I have this calm demeanor within me, I will help those and continue to help, listen, and assist while we all grow.
Situational Leadership. “Situational Leadership focuses on leadership in situations. The premise of the theory is that different situations demand different kinds of leadership. From this perspective, to be an effective leader requires that a person adapt his or her style to the demands of different situations (Northouse, 2010, pg. 99).” The example that I would say was a major influence of my behavior was the SLII model that was developed by Blanchard and Blanchard. Northouse illustration of the SLII model describes four quadrants of a leader’s behavior as S1-high supportive and low directive, S2-low supportive and low directive, S3-high directive and
The second quadrant talks about achieving goals and meeting subordinates’ socioemotional needs
The third quadrant requires that the leader does not focus exclusively on goals but includes listening, praising, asking for input, and giving feedback.
When I started this program, I said it clearly that I was a servant-leader. I feel my mission in life is to help people achieve their goals and that is the reward for me. So during this program, I have realized that I do have the characteristics of servant-leadership, and that I can adapt to any given situation. But what I also noticed is that I am still in a process of transitioning in the leader I know I am. I know that I need to improve some of my characteristics to actually say that I am that leader, and with God’s grace, I can actually say I will become this leader because I am three-fourths the way there!
Beginning and End!
For every person in every organization, there comes a moment when he or she must have the courage to step forward and meet the needs of the time. Regardless of whether your time is now or in the future, you must be prepared and willing to seize that moment as a courageous leader! David Cottrell.
The Beginning:
While in this program I have been asked several times the questions of, what leadership style do I think I am? Or, what leadership style have I demonstrated before entering this program? I could not give a clear answer to these two questions because I never gave it too much thought. Now I know that I am and always have been a Servant-Leader. I have always helped others with their issues, and given them a positive outlook. I don’t why or what prompted people to seek my advice on things that they were going through, but people seemed to gravitate toward me seeking advice and sometime consultation about things going wrong in their life.
Before pursuing my education I was a single-working mother raising five children. And out of the five, one was my nephew. I raised my children with the understanding that in life, there will be times when they will lead and they will follow, but to never question their values or their morals. To stay true to themselves and stand on their words because in life that is what makes you who are. Looking back, I never knew there were titles for different leadership styles, traits, nor characteristics, just that, in those times you will lead and when the predicament was unclear follow, and then lead again.
I was just working and was raising my children. Being the child of a single working parent I sometimes felt that I could not worry my mother about some of things that I was going through. I felt that after working all day she needed her rest and peace of mind. I realized that my attention was needed at home. I knew that if I wanted to achieve something better for my children, I needed a change. But with that change, there where issues that needed adjusting. I prayed on this decision and it became clear at this time, that I was needed more at home than at my job. So I became a full-time stay at home mother, raising my children in the manner that I felt guided them in the correct way. I began to restructure my household and my children. I set schedules for their homework, for them to clean their rooms, playtime, dinner, baths and bedtime. Our weekends were spent with family at the park, and the library, and even neighborhood walks. I talked to them about the importance of their education and going to college, and still do to this date.
College has always been in my picture since I was a junior in high school. I received a full scholarship to Georgetown University which was based on my academics, so I still remembered that I wanted to pursue my goals of further my education, but still it was not the time. My baby girl was two at this time, with two older sisters, one was five and the other six, her brother and cousin were both seven. I knew my attention was needed there, not wondering if I could find someone to watch my children or bring my children to class with me, so I waited.
I waited for the moment when my baby girl went to an all-day kindergarten, and I was comfortable with enrolling my children into an after school program. I had the serenity of knowing that my children would be okay so I started looking for a college. I chose Donnelly College because the classes are smaller and the location of the school is in a good area. I attended Donnelly College in spring of 2006. Donnelly College was the starting point in the pursuit of my education, and the advancement on this path that God has paved for me. Walking through the doors of Donnelly, led me to my first instructor Sue Laird, who later became my advisor and intriguingly challenged my curiosity on the OL Program. Due to circumstances that were beyond my control, I discontinued my education at this time. However, advancing my education was still something that was important and foreseeable in my future.
At the time, I took a short break from pursuing my goals but I did get back out there. I enrolled at Kansas City Kansas Community College where I attended my classes every day. I took classes in business law, Accounting, Macroeconomics and Statistics. By this time I knew that I wanted a degree in business administration. I had a goal and determination on my side so I felt that there was nothing to hold me back. I received my Associates Degree at Kansas City Kansas Community College. With God’s grace, after this accomplishment, I returned to Donnelly College where I enrolled in the Organizational Leadership Program with the same determination to receive my Bachelors’ Degree.
The Middle:
The fall of 2012, is where I started to learn the different definitions of the words leader and leadership. In OL 301, Professor Crew introduced the definition of Servant Leadership to me at this time, but in OL 340 is when I received full clarity about this style. Mrs. Pat Brune was the person who truly dissected, defined, and modeled this style of leadership. After hearing her synopsis of Servant Leadership, I claimed it! And as I said many times before looking back at my past, and how I dealt with certain situations especially this one, I can say that I was and still am a Servant Leader.
My thoughts about leadership transitioned from what I thought, and did not want to claim, to this amazing ah-ha moment of knowledge.
During the different levels of my courses I relearned the meaning of leadership and from that moment was no longer afraid of the challenges that a leader has. The term leader is defined as, “A person who guides, conduct, persuade, serve as a way, and conduct people in a certain way that leads to a positive productive ending (Webster Dictionary, 1987, pg. 229).” Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individual to achieve a common goal. It emphasizes that leadership is not a linear, one-way event, but rather an interactive event (Northouse, 2010, pg.5).” But making the choice to be a stay at home mom then is what graced me with the blessing of having three children who are in college now, and my youngest daughter wanting to go to college to be a journalist when she graduates.
The Mission:
I had several courses over leadership, business, and communication during these classes and from these classes, I grew spiritually and intellectually. This led me to OL 405 where our mission was to search for an internship or a project. From either one of the two, we were to utilize the leadership theories we have learned while in this program. The goal was to demonstrate those leadership theories and to analyze the learning process in an effective manner. Would it be successful? Who knows, the point was to analyze our behavior and apply those leadership theories to the situation whether the ship sank or sailed.
Because I could not come up with a proposal for a project, that I was satisfied with, I decided to go with the internship. I started making calls to individuals before the semester started so I could start my intern along with my classes. I made a few calls to people who I thought could assist me with my intern, and I also called a previous person who I had interned with in the past. My first choice was Reginald Lindsey, who is the office supervisor in the Budget Department at the Unified Government. I thought of Mr. Lindsey because I am pursuing my career in accounting, so therefore, I related the two. I know that budgets and budgeting have a role in accounting so I thought, hey give it a shot. But the Budget Department did not have an internship available at the time so I pursued to move into another direction.
Business Results on Purpose (BRP):
My next step with the assistance of my stepmother moved me to Business Results on Purpose or (BRP).
It was a pleasure for me to meet such a phenomenal woman, who has a great business mind. Mrs. Alicia Hooks accepted me under her wing as an intern at BRP. Our first meeting began with setting the hours for my intern, the expectations for both me and Mrs. Hooks, and the goals that I believe would be accomplished during my intern.
I started on August 26, 2013, and ended on October 16, 2013. My hours were set from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Friday. The expectations of the intern was to help Mrs. Hooks on a project where I would be responsible for at least ¾, if not all of the project. I knew that I would not be responsible for the whole project because my presence at BRP was just temporary, but the project was permanent. My goals were simply. During this timetable I wanted hands-on experience with Accounting and Business with a clear understanding. That was the mission that I set out for myself so when Mrs. Hooks asked me what I wanted to gain from the experience? My take-away from it all was to gain a hand on approach to actual business operations. To get a feel of the day to day working procedures and operating procedures and absorb as much experience as I could in this field that I am interested in.
Learning Outcomes from my internship along with My Personal S.W.O.T analogy:
My strengths going into the intern I stayed opened-minded and eager to take on any challenge, while learning, listening, and paying close attention to details. I knew that this could lead into two directions which were either, inaccuracies or successes. Of course I was aiming to succeed in which I did receive it. Mrs. Hooks gave me contact information for a Construction Company that she had been dealing with for a while. She told me what she was trying to do for this company which was to write a business proposal. Mrs. Hooks at this time gave me initial contact information and with this information, I was able to get the rest of the information she needed to complete the paperwork for the proposal. At this moment, I also witnessed the leader coming out in me more from this experience because I accomplished something that in the end affected two businesses for the greater good.
My weakness was that I fell into a closed-minded situation with a zealous employee. Did I allow my emotions to get the best of me? Yes, I allowed myself to become very emotional for a sight moment which was a mistake. But I learned from that mistake, moved forward and continued to do what I set forth to do. I continued to showing up every day, with an eager mind to do my job, and to learn from Mrs. Hooks. This led me into the position of handling the expenses part of Mr. Owens financial reports at Professional Elevator Services or PES.
The opportunity I feel that I gained at BRP was working hands-on with learning how to read financial reports and analyzing financial forecasts for Mr. Owens at Professional Elevator Services or PES. This is where I felt I was able to utilize what knew on Accounting. So with the assistance of my advisor Mr. Modrcin, who is a great business consultant and Mrs. Hooks, who was a very insightful person and an excellent motivator, we were able to at least give Mr. Owens some clarity on how his part of the branch was holding up. I started to learn QuickBooks Intuit which is a computer program that: sends invoices, accept payments, track sales and expenses, pay company employees, and also work with your accountant. After learning how to use the software, I started inputting Mr. Owens’ expenses into the database. The outcomes showed him graphical as well as numerical forecasts of where his business stood at that the present time and how his finances flowed throughout the business.
My threat to me from this whole experience was that I would not gain anything. By this statement, I meant that I would not gain any knowledge, skills or take away experience that I could utilize for future growth in my life from this internship. But what I realized was that the only threat within this internship was the threat of me not being willing to be opened minded for the experience. By definition this means, by not being opened minded to learn, listen and absorb what I could from this internship. But this was not the case because I started each day with an open mind willing to learn. I learned QuickBooks and a little about Big Contacts.
The leadership theory I believe I applied the most through this whole experience was Situational Leadership. “Situational Leadership focuses on leadership in situations. The premise of the theory is that different situations demand different kinds of leadership. From this perspective, to be an effective leader requires that a person adapt his or her style to the demands of different situations (Northouse, 2010, pg. 99).” The example that I would say was a major influence of my behavior was the SLII model that was developed by Blanchard and Blanchard. Northouse illustration of the SLII model describes four quadrants of a leader’s behavior as S1-high supportive and low directive, S2-low supportive and low directive, S3-high directive and low supportive, and S4- high directive and high supportive (Northouse, 2010, pgs. 100-101).
Beginning with the first quadrant, Communication was the key factor between Mr. Owens, Mrs. Hooks and I. We had a weekly meeting every Friday to discuss Mr. Owens financial situations. During this meeting I had to give an opinion on his financial expenses, which was what I was working on for Mr. Owens. I managed this area of communication to the best of my ability considering the fact that I was a little uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable explaining a business budget to someone, which was something new to me! The budgeting part was not as uncomfortable because I knew how to budget. Explaining it to someone in a business and wondering if I was explaining it right or giving a clear definition. There is where it seemed a little uncomfortable. Mr. Owens was not new to business world, in the past he had ran an elevator business and had knowledge of the way he felt that a business worked, so therefore, and it was still a little uncomfortable to me to explain this to him. But also because I had to step out, speak up, and get out of my comfort zone.
. Mr. Owens acknowledged that it was a problem with his finances but was unfamiliar with what to do about this problem. The suggestion that Mrs. Hooks came up with was utilizing the trial programs of QuickBooks and Big Contacts. These applications helped him focus on his financial issues and his need to stay in contact with people for bids and further contracts for PES.this led to the purchases of these software’s for his personal business, especially QuickBooks. The peace om mind I believed that Mr. Owens gained was that he could keep track of his finances, especially his expenses. This also opened a window of opportunity to his company in two directions which were: the ability to hiring new employees if you decided to stay with PES Missouri or closing the doors and finding comfort in joining the home company in St. Louis as just an employee for PES himself.
The third quadrant requires that the leader does not focus exclusively on goals but includes listening, praising, asking for input, and giving feedback. Clarity was the main focus for me during my internship. I felt that questions were not limited within this experience from anyone. I asked questions and when I felt uncomfortable and wanted input or feedback on the answers I received. When the answers that I received where unclear from all partakers, I asked more questions to receive that clarity. I gave feedback on issues that I felt were unethical and unclear, but also on issues that I felt to be uplifting and praised the moment when those issues were clear and enjoyable.
During the process of entering Mr. Owens expenses into QuickBooks, I gained the confidence of knowing my stuff. I was able to explain, and clarify certain explanations over his spending expenses which included gas, lunches, and miscellaneous items that he was purchasing with the business credit card. I was comfortable enough to tell Mr. Owens, regardless if he was not paying the expenses of that bill or not it was still expenses that he was occurring and the debt was steady increasing.
Transformational Leadership which is “a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. Transformational Leadership involves an exceptional form of influence that moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them. It is a process that often incorporates charismatic and visionary leadership (Northouse, 2010, pg. 185).” This theory was very noticeable my first day at BRP. I was transitioning from being a college student, too getting back into the swing of learning how to collaborate around in the business world. The experience was exhilarating because I was being asked my input on business situations where the standards were high. One example is Ms. McKinzy who wanted to open a non-for profit organization. Ms. McKinzy realized that she needed a job just so she could invest some money into what she wanted to do. From that moment, I knew my influence over this woman’s decisions to pursue her goals was a question of what I valued. Respectfully, I could have told her that it was not worth the effort, but that means crushing a dream. Instead, I put myself in her shoes, evaluated the situation more, and gave her my advice to get a job, work on her proposal and talk to Mrs. Hooks at a later date.
The Phillips AID (Assess, Identify, and develop), was a technique that Mrs. Hooks came up with during the time of my intern. This was a method that I used to calculate Mr. Owens profit margins as well as his return on assets. With these calculations I then compared them with the industries average profits along with the maintenance and repair funds. During this process, I was able to identify for Mr. Owens where his company stood financially, this is where QuickBooks came into play. By using QuickBooks I was able to show Mr. Owens his figures on pie and bar graphs which included about twelve different categories. I like the application because I believe it is effective and also because it’s visual. So for someone who needs to see visually where their business stands, they could put the numbers into QB and QuickBooks would then put them into visual graphs and charts as well as numerically and systemically. So the aftereffect was that Mr. Owens purchased QB for his personal security, and I felt happy because I learned some new technology that was also dealing with accounting the process.
From this aftermath for Mr. Owens were those realizations that lead him to the premier reasoning of coming to BRP. Mr. Owens was not an eager man to just give up his financial records, but in order for him to move forward he had to part ways with being uncomfortable. He knew that there was an issue when it came to the calculations of his business, but he needed visual proof. He was not familiar with how Chicago was coming up with the amount of debt that he was in, or how he was continuing to be in the red when it came from Chicago. But when we looked at his income statements, they were showing that he was in the black. In this area with the amount of time that I had with my intern, I gave Mr. Owens a little clarity with some parts of accounting so that he could handle his own statements.
Evaluating this situation now was the biggest trade-off of my internship. My reward was successfully putting the information together. The cost was that QuickBooks figures and graphs were inconclusive due to the fact that some of his financial information contained missing dates, and large set-off amounts. I applied my knowledge of accounting and finance in analyzing Mr. Owens financial documents. I chose not to include copies of his financial records and information in this paper because they are confidential financial records. Some risks to my internship were that there were some set-back constraints which hindered the project. There were some gaps in his journal entries so inputting the figures still led to some inaccuracies.
The Friday meetings were being set at a later time in the day, so this started to conflict with some issues that I personally needed to handle. There was a cost because I was steadily learning through this internship. Mr. Owens financial issue showed figures accurate enough for me learn QB and he had enough contacts for me to learn “Big Contacts,” a scheduling program. So the overall experience was interesting and I enjoyed what I did for Mr. Owens.
In September 2013, Mr. Owens received a bid for a new job which had him absent from the office which left me with less information to log into the computer. I continued to go to the office, logging in the receipt amounts and other expenses that were available to me. Since things were moving a little slow I began to weigh my opinions. I could either stay at PES, doing other office duties that did not pertain to my intern or put my focus more into my studies and leave with what I retained. For about a month, I stayed at PES. After talking to Mrs. Hooks, I decided to leave my internship on October 18th with the option to return after Mr. Owens was done with his contract. So as anyone could see, I did not leave in bad terms or with any miscommunications. I had done what was expected from me. I believed that I gave Mr. Owens a better and effective way of conducting and improving his business practices. As far as Mrs. Hooks, I believed that I gave her a better insight in researching and developing business plans. I considered returning to PES and BRP if the time permitted it. Then I felt I could utilize my time working and learning more about the business. I gained the knowledge of QuickBooks and would advise anyone who has a small company to invest in this program for their own peace of mind.
The End:
The four quadrants of the SL II model were the perfect guideline for how I delegated, communicated and managed my ideas through my internship. From the first quadrant, communication and management settled into the choices of how my learning applications were applied at PES and BRP. The second quadrant focused on Mr. Owens decisions of purchasing QuickBooks and Big Contacts for his business. My benefit from this internship was that I learned about QB and that was a sweet reward. The cost was that Mr. Owens learned that the figures on his tax returns did not match the accounts payable sheets from Chicago. Mr. Owens now understood enough understood about accounting so that he could figure out some of his sunken cost that came from Chicago. The task was learning QB because it was something that was unfamiliar to me. There were different ways to log in information that went into sub-categories. I also noticed that if you did not exit out after logging the information that the amounts doubled. An account can also be recurring but if you are not specific as to which account than it can cause an offset. I had the decision to either stay or come back when Mr. Owens returned. My decision over this situation would be based in quadrant three of the model. This leads to quadrant four, because of the length of and the low amount of duties to do, I decided to not return. The argument provided by Blanchard for how commitment varies in the SL II model is that subordinates usually start out motivated and eager to learn, and then they may become discouraged and disillusioned (Northouse, 2010, pg. 107).
I was not discouraged or disillusioned over the outcome of my intern. But instead I learned from the whole experience. I had the opportunity to meet different people and go outside my norm. I am grateful for the opportunity of working with Mr. Owens and Mrs. Hooks. Although I am he no longer at BRP, I still communicate occasionally with Mrs. Hooks because I felt that we had developed a relationship during the course of my internship. I worked alongside her and as a team, and we orchestrated an understandable business plan for Mr. Owens to gain confidence in his objectives at PES. I pray that if he decides to stay in Missouri that he receives the proper knowledge in handling his business finances. If he decided to leave I hope that keeps the passion that he has for the profession that he’s in. Whether I have the opportunity of using QB’s again or not, I will still encourage anyone in a business to utilize this program.
As Mr. Modrcin and others have stated, “In business it is a proven fact that business and emotions do not mix.” Those who do not create the mixture between business and emotions, have a greater chance for success. All in all I feel that the total experience with the internship and the courses I have experience, have made me a better person. I believe it has helped me both mentally and emotionally to undertake any of the goals I hope to achieve in my career choice. It has given me an awareness of the benefits of having a sound basic for making decisions in my chosen field. It also has made me aware of many of the pitfalls of entering into a field or business without evaluating the whole project carefully. No matter where I find myself I feel that I am capable of making the right decisions. I cannot express what the knowledge I obtained from the course has made in my prospect on things that I may embark on after college. Although at this time the job market is quiet limited in certain fields, I fell that I will be able to go head on with other new graduates applying for the same positions. I will continue to evaluate what I know and keep informed about the changing job descriptions and if need be take other courses that will allow me to keep up with the changing times and work force. I am ready to embark on a career in business or related fields relevant to my education and desire to succeed.
